Personal thoughts, opinions and comments of an independent consultant, political analyst and historian, who lives in Ireland but is aware of the whole world.

12 April 2008

Green Party demonstrates her new Strength

The Green Party's annual conference in Dundalk - the first since the party joined Fianna Fáil in government - took place in a generally positive mood, with many delegates obviously reveling in the new status of power for their party.

In his opening address the party leader John Gormley outlined the Green achievements in government so far, including the reform of the car tax system, which will be fully implemented in July.Gormley told delegates that in ten days he will launch a Green Paper on Local Government, which - he hopes - "will deliver the biggest ever reform of Ireland's local administration".

He said the paper provides for a directly elected mayor of Dublin who will have real executive powers. This will include having control of waste policy, regional planning, housing water and other essential services.The Green Paper also proposes a device to allow citizens to decide key policy directions. Gormley told delegates there was "no reason why people should not decide what the spending priorities should be in their communities".

The Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government also said he will shortly be announcing an initiative to allow people to recycle batteries in supermarkets. This initiative is long overdue, he said.

A wide range of policy motions have been debated on Saturday. A number of these motions were potentially controversial, but less so since the Taoiseach's announcement that he is to stand down in May.

John Gormley used his main leader speech tonight to make an appeal to politicians on all sides not to play politics with climate change. He appealed to members of the opposition to "put away the petty squabbling and cheap shots, forget the nonsense and come on board" to work with the Greens in government "in the best interests of the country and the planet".

Well, this is definitely a different John Gormley than the one we have known for many years in opposition. It is interesting to see how ministerial office can change a man completely and turn him 180 degrees around. And - strangely enough - most of his party is following suit, like a docile bunch of lemmings is running blindly after their leader.

Less than a year into the coalition, Gormley has already realised that he might have made a mistake. But realising is one thing and admitting it is another. And so far there is no open discussion over the shortfalls. Gormley told delegates that "the party knows and recognises that we can never get everything we hoped for in government".Well, Fianna Fáil are well known for using smaller parties as they please. But John Gormley is still of the opinion that "outside of government the Green Party can achieve nothing".I would not agree with that, but then again, I put principles before the hunger for power and positions...

Earlier at the conference Communications Minister Eamon Ryan announced that a new code of conduct for broadcasters will protect children from advertisements for junk food. Ryan told the convention that the code of conduct will be included in his new Broadcasting Bill, which is to be published shortly.

Food Minister and former party leader Trevor Sargent has promised a fivefold increase in land devoted to organic farming by the year 2012, while delegates supported a call to end the sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol producers.

Delegates also voted for a review of third level funding, with a widening of tax relief to all third level costs, instead of just fees. Proposing the motion, Waterford delegate Catherine Kinsella pointed out that one can currently get tax relief in Ireland "for owning an enthusiastic stallion, but not for education".

The convention backed a call for a review of the location of centres of excellence for treating cancer and called for the nationwide availability of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) teaching for autistic children.

The Green Party convention made some extra headlines tonight when China's new ambassador to Ireland, Liu Biwei, walked out of the conference hall in Dundalk during the leader's address. Liu Biwei was not pleased to hear that John Gormley mentioning the occupation of Tibet and the oppression of its people by the Chinese government. (See also my entry from earlier tonight.)

Although I cannot forget or forgive the Green Party that it has become the poodle of Fianna Fáil, I have to give John Gormley praise where it is due. In the current climate of hypocrisy over China, where no other politician dares to stand up and call the facts as they are, John Gormley is so far the only TD who has the courage to speak up. Only if we tell the Chinese what we think of them, we can make them see reality and change perhaps some of their ways. Crawling on the belly before them - as Fianna Fáil has done so far - is not the right thing to do.So, well done tonight, John Gormley! I just wish you would also still be true to your political principles at home...

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You are indeed most welcome to my humble weblog, to which I post each day a personal column, reflecting my views, thoughts and opinions of the day. Often the entries will be inspired by events and news from Ireland or abroad. Having lived in various countries before I grew solid roots on the Emerald Isle, I take note of many things that happen on the planet.And I have views and opinions.Please be my guest, read and think, and feel free to leave your personal comments as well. They are as welcome as you are here.On the right you also find some additional information, related to Ireland and other matters, for example books I recommend. From time to time I also have opinion polls and appreciate your participation. And if you like what you read, you can subscribe to my weblog (using the box below) and will receive every new entry automatically.And in case you want to find a specific word or subject - on the world-wide web or on one of my two weblogs - then you don't even have to leave the site. Scroll down to the very bottom and you will find a perfect search engine, powered by Google.

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FACTS ABOUT IRELAND

The Emerald Isle

(also known as Ireland) has been inhabited by humans for at least 10,000 years. This image shows the topographical structure of the island, which was until recent times very important and decided in many cases where the people would build their settlements.The oldest surviving monuments in Ireland date from megalithic times between 5000 and 3500 BCE. About 200 BCE the Celts, familiar with the use of iron, conquered the island.

Around 1000 years later Viking raiders from Norway appeared, and in 914 they built the first city in Ireland, calling it "Vadra Fjord" (safe anchorage), which later became Waterford.In 1169 this city was the first to be taken by the Normans, when they invaded and conquered large parts of the island, including the capital Dublin.

In later centuries Ireland became more known for emigrants, as famine, poverty and oppression drove people out into the world. (About 45 million Americans have Irish ancestry.)However, since the unexpected economic boom (known as the "Celtic Tiger"), which we had for about a dozen years, there are now many immigrants on the Emerald Isle, coming from almost everywhere and turning the once quiet and introvert island into a vibrant international community.

Unfortunately the boom turned out to be only a bubble, based on false hopes, speculation and criminal gambling by reckless bankers. So now we are in a deep economic recession, which is made even worse by our current incompetent government.What will happen to Ireland in the future is hard to say, but it all will depend on making the right political, economic, and social decisions.

There is a realistic chance that Ireland could become a major producer of clean energy, and proposals have been presented already to the government and the public. It will now depend on our politicians to make the right decisions. If they do, then we can have a bright and promising future. If not, Ireland is in danger of becoming a poor third-world country.

Ireland's Countryside

is predominantly green. It is said that there are actually forty different shadesofgreen on the island, but few people go around counting.The landscape is rolling, with drumlins, hills and river valleys, and one is never far from the sea in Ireland.Ancient Stones like the one on this photo can be found in many parts of Ireland. They are the remnants of the old religion, which is once again growing on the Emerald Isle.

Ireland's National Flag

was first introduced during the uprising of 1848 in Waterford, Ireland's oldest city, by Thomas Francis Meagher, a native of the city who later rose to prominence as a Union General (and leader of the famous Irish Brigade) during the American Civil War (1861-65).An Bhratach Náisiúnta, as she is called in Irish, is a vertical (revolutionary) tricoleur, inspired by and modeled on the flag of the French Republic.The colours are green, white and orange. They represent the land and the predominantly Catholic nationalist majority (green), the protestant Anglo-Irish minority (orange), and the peace (white) that exists between them.

The flag was used by nationalists in private since 1848 and flown in public again during the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin. In 1919 she was adopted as the official flag of the Irish Republic.

Uachtarán na hÉireann

Prof. Mary McAleese is the 8th President of the Republic of Ireland. First elected to the office in 1997 as a representative of the majority government party Fianna Fáil, she is now in her second seven-year term, to which she was elected without opposition in 2004. She is the second female President of the Republic and currently also the longest-serving elected female head of state in the world. Born in Belfast, she encountered the Northern troubles first-hand and her Catholic family was forced out of their house by "loyalist" terrorists. After studying law in Belfast and Dublin, she qualifed as a barrister. In 1975 she was appointed a professor in the legal faculty of Trinity College, Dublin and in 1979 joined RTÉ television as a journalist and presenter. Since 1981 she combined both areas of work, but returned in 1987 to Belfast, as Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen's University, which appointed her Pro-Vice Chancellor in 1994.

An Taoiseach

Brian Cowen, TD is the 12th Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland and the 7th leader of the majority government party Fianna Fáil. In 1984, aged 24, he was elected to the Dáil in the constituency his father Bernhard, a local publican, had represented before. After 8 years in parliament, Cowen was appointed Minister for Labour in 1992. Since then he served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Minister for Health and Children, and - from 2000 to 2004 - as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Since 2005 Brian Cowen was Minister for Finance, and since 2007 also Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister). When Taoiseach Bertie Ahern declared his resignation on April 2nd, 2008, Cowen was elected unopposed as the new leader of Fianna Fáil on April 9th. On May 7th, 2008 Dáil Eireann elected him Taoiseach. He leads a coalition government inherited from Bertie Ahern and supported by the Green Party and four independent TDs. The now 48-year-old, sometimes referred to as 'Biffo', is married and father of two daughters. A keen Gaelic football fan, he also continues to be president of Clara GAA club.

The Parliament

of Ireland is known as the Houses of the Oireachtas. The House of Deputies (currently 166) is called Dáil Éireann, while 60 Senators form Seanad Éireann, the Senate. Both meet at Leinster House on Dublin's Kildare Street (above). The former city residence of the Duke of Leinster was sold in 1815 to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) which added two new wings, to accomodate the National Library and the National Museum. After the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 the central part was chosen as the provisional parliament chamber (until some proper building would be found). Despite plans to turn the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, into the seat of the Oireachtas, it never happened. So Leinster House is still at the heart of Irish politics. And when Irish architect James Hoban designed the White House in Washington, D.C., he modeled it on Leinster House.

A few words about me

Having been born into an old European family (with 75% of the genes Celtic) I learned early that history and traditions are very important. After a quite turbulent childhood and youth, spent in different countries on three continents, I joined the Navy, served for many years in ships, other commands, and became a historian.
After leaving the Navy I worked in a museum and national monument, taught in school and college, edited a magazine and worked as journalist and broadcaster. Now I earn my crust as an independent consultant and analyst. In my scarce spare time I am involved in various social activities and charity work, write and read a lot, and sometimes even find time for painting.
My house is old and small, and I share it with a cat. Living a simple Spartan life, I eat vegetarian food and do not enjoy alcohol and most entertainments.
Life is too short to be wasted on fripperies. Every day is needed to do one's share - no matter how small it might be - to save the planet and its living creatures.

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The HSE, as seen by "Green Ink"

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